Some Ugandan pepper growers have been temporarily banned from exporting to the European Union, in a bid to stave off a fully imposed embargo that could punish the entire sector for a series of contamination issues over the last few months.

This is not the first time the Ugandan Export Promotion Board (UEPB) and the Uganda Ministry of Trade have stepped in to enforce short-term self-imposed restrictions before something worse escalates.

For the time being some pepper producers and exporters, many of whom supply Benelux countries and the U.K. in particular, have halted EU supplies. A similar situation affected the country’s pepper exports last year but was resolved in November when exports resumed.

According to the UEPB, the Ugandan Ambassador to Belgium urged agencies to heighten their efforts throughout the value chain to overcome an impending ban, following high numbers of interceptions relating to fruit flies and other harmful organisms including False Codling Moth and African Cotton Leafworm.

"We need to institute short and long term measures to stop the blockade of capsicum from the European market. The number of interceptions in 2014 alone was 141 and the worst hit months were September, October and November. We must do all it takes to stop a looming full embargo," Ambassador Mirjam Blaak said during a multi-stakeholder meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A spokesman for the UEPB tells www.freshfruitportal.com the self imposed ban needed to happen whilst more is done to train farmers and educate exporters about food safety issues and the contamination of produce.

"There are many farmers in Uganda who need to better understand the importance of phytosanitary requirements and how trying to export contaminated produce actually harms the sector as a whole," he said.

"There have been too many interceptions in Europe and we (Uganda) has been issued with some warning notices. We have to act now to prevent an imposed ban. That may be something that some people find difficult to understand, but it is for the greater good of the country’s economy."

Various government departments are working alongside the UEPB to implement a series of measures aimed at reducing interceptions and encouraging best practice amongst producers and exporters.

These include inspecting fresh produce at farm and pack house level, improvements in labeling so fresh produce earmarked for export is dispatched on schedule and without delay, strengthening verification teams at points of exit, verification points to be manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week and proper issuing of phytosanitary certification.

Meanwhile, one of the country’s leading pepper exporters KK Fresh Produce Exporters Ltd is not part of the restrictions and continues to supply the European markets. It is on track to export 1,800 metric tons (MT) of peppers to Europe by the year end.

CEO James Kanyije says 'enough is enough' and is glad 'rouge traders' are being prevented from exporting.

"We are on track, our business is doing well and is not affected by these restrictions but that's because we do things properly; we have made the proper investments, employ 200 people across farms, pack houses, exit points at airports and have seven agronomists based around the country. We don’t want others to kill this investment," he tells www.freshfruitportal.com.

"There are rogue traders in Uganda who do none of these things and this self-imposed ban is for the people who are not meeting the strict European standards and systems and who have no traceability or certification; they are the ones being left out. We don’t have a problem and are allowed to export because we are government approved.

"There are companies without any knowledge, they buy and sell and the amount of pests in pepper consignments has been increasing as a result and this is why we want those people to be banned. I was involved in a meeting recently which was calling for a self-imposed ban because we want those people to get out of the chain and stop exporting because we want the industry to be clean and only the companies that have invested in this business can export."

Kanyije adds that if the restrictions were not put in place and the European Union imposed its own ban, the entire sector would be punished. Something that needs to be avoided at all costs.

"Enough is enough and let’s stop these guys who have no traceability or education and no employees to stop dumping into the market. If there was a complete ban it would be dangerous because, as I said we employee so many people and suddenly all of them would be facing a big problem."

"Anyone who wants to resume exports or come into the industry needs to do everything properly."

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